HOW TO IDENTIFY THE BEST BLACKJACK TABLE: THINGS TO LOOK FOR​

IT'S IMPORTANT TO SCOUT THE CASINO'S BLACKJACK TABLES TO ASCERTAIN THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION:

• Blackjack playing rules
• The number of decks in play
• The minimum & maximum bet limits
• How cards are shuffled
• How many blackjack players are competing

THE MINIMUM & MAXIMUM BET LIMITS

Be advised that minimum & maximum bet limits don't alter your blackjack playing strategy. But, checking the bet limits before you play blackjack is important. You certainly don't want to embarrass yourself by not understanding the table's minimum & maximum betting limits. Think this is a rarity? I've noticed this occur multiple times throughout my blackjack playing career.

I've seen players sit at the table with a massive wad of cash on the blackjack felt. Then, they ask the dealer for chips. Play stops at the table while the dealer spreads their cash about to count it. Next, the dealer exchanges the wad of cash for blackjack chips. Finally, the dealer slides the stack of chips to the blackjack player.

At times, the croupier is required to wait for approval from the floor supervisor. New players must be given the okay from the supervisor. Once everything is hunky-dory, two red chips valued at C$10 are slid towards the player's spot. Guess what happens? The new player thinks the minimum bet is C$10 or C$20. Other players look on in disgust and contempt. This new player has disrupted the game flow and is blithely unaware that the minimum bet amount to play at this blackjack table is C$25.

The dealer has to point this out to the player. As if that's not enough, there's a placard on the table off to the dealer's right-hand side indicating precisely this! All the minimum & maximum bet limits are posted on blackjack tables. What does the player do? I've seen players sheepishly slip away into the shadows in search of cheaper blackjack tables, or they reluctantly raise the stakes to meet the table minimum.

To save yourself from the potential embarrassment, follow the #1 rule: Know the minimum & maximum bet limits at the blackjack table before you sit down, buy-in, and play blackjack.

THE NUMBER OF DECKS IN PLAY?

Another big determinant of the house edge when using a basic blackjack strategy is the number of decks of cards in play. The house edge typically increases when you increase the number of decks in play. But of course, blackjack rules need to be factored into the equation.

First, we should know whether we are playing single-deck or double-deck blackjack. And if you're playing multi-deck games of blackjack, you should know whether you're playing with four, six, or eight decks of cards.

Typically, multi-deck blackjack game cards are dealt from a shoe. Once you have the requisite experience, you will know whether the dealer is shuffling the cards or sneaking a peek at the side profile stack of cards in the dealing shoe.

With a little insight, you will be able to tell whether the game uses four, six, or eight decks of cards straight after a shuffle. If you are uncertain, simply locate a blackjack dealer to tell you.

COMBINATION OF BLACKJACK PLAYING RULES

The combination of blackjack playing rules is where the proverbial rubber meets the road. When you combine the rules of play with the number of blackjack decks in action, you can gauge the house edge. Therefore, it's worthwhile understanding the blackjack playing rules. These tell you whether the dealer stands firm on soft 17 or is required to hit on soft 17.

Blackjack rules also determine if players can double on any two cards dealt straight up or if there are certain restrictions in place regarding how and when you can double down. The mix of playing rules also determines if the surrender option is permitted.

Plus, players will know whether re-splitting Aces is okay and, perhaps most importantly, what the potential payoff is for untied blackjack hands. Several options abound, notably 3:2, 6:5, 7:5 or 1:1. In the next section, I will detail the most important blackjack playing rules.

HOW THE CARDS ARE SHUFFLED

In the case of single-deck or double-deck blackjack games, the blackjack dealer typically hand shuffles the cards. But when it comes to multi-deck blackjack games, the dealers traditionally turn to auto-shuffling (automatic card shuffling). It's possible to shuffle multiple decks manually, but this is an extremely time-consuming practice. Various auto-shuffling devices are readily available, but what you want to avoid is the Continuous Shuffling Machine (CSM). Sit tight for now; we'll get into the reasons later. It's essential to avoid blackjack tables with continuous shuffling machines, so stick with me, and I'll reveal it all soon!

Casinos have had automatic blackjack shuffling machines for quite some time. They typically use two sets of multi-deck packs of cards. The dealer uses one set of blackjack cards in the game; the other is being shuffled by the automatic card shuffling device. The round of play is over as soon as the cut card materializes. Then, the dealer swaps the cards. This means that the recently-used multi-decks of cards are placed in the automatic card shuffling machine. The dealer uses the other shuffled decks that would be in the card shuffling machine (off-line) for the next blackjack rounds of play. There's a reason why two automatic shufflers are used – to eliminate the time involved in having the dealer manually shuffle all of the cards. From the casino's point of view, time translates into money. When dealers have to manually shuffle multiple decks of cards, this reduces the number of hands dealt per hour. This, in turn, translates into lower profitability. Of course, when an automatic shuffler is used, everything goes much quicker!

Nice to know: Blackjack players face the same odds irrespective of whether the dealer manually shuffles the cards or uses an automatic card shuffling machine.

When multiple decks of cards are used in blackjack games, say six or eight decks, the deck penetration ranges between 65% – 80% before all of the decks are shuffled again using an automatic shuffling machine.

Now, there is a difference between an auto shuffler and a CSM. A continuous shuffling machine, by contrast, is a mix of an automatic shuffler and a dealing shoe. A CSM is typically for five decks of cards. Once a betting round is over, the blackjack dealer collects all of the recently played cards – the discards. Rather than placing these used cards back in a tray, they are placed into the CSM. They get reshuffled along with the 4.5 decks of cards currently in the CSM.

Can you tell the difference between a CSM and an auto-shuffling device?

With an auto-shuffling device, 65% – 80% of the cards are played. Only then are the played cards, and the discards shuffled in with them. Now we turn our attention to the continuous shuffling machine (CSM). Here, discards are automatically and immediately returned to the card shuffling machine after each round of play. Sometimes this takes place after several rounds of play. Then, they are randomly mixed in with the play cards. When CSMs are used, the blackjack action continues unabated since the dealer always deals without pauses for card shuffling.

If you're wondering whether the blackjack odds change with CSMs – the answer is a resounding yes! But it's ever so slight and in favour of the player. With CSMs, a basic strategy blackjack player can expect a 0.1% reduction in the house edge when using six decks of cards. And it's all thanks to the cut card effect that this is possible with CSMs. This increases the likelihood of receiving 10-value cards and blackjack with CSMs.

This seems to go against my earlier advice of avoiding a CSM, so read on! Don't go rushing off to find blackjack tables with CSMs just yet. Let's finish the story, shall we?

Remember, every casino game - slots, card games, and table games have a built-in house edge. The more games you play per hour, the more you lose per hour by default. So, when a CSM is used in blackjack, you will be playing more hands per hour. Just how many hands? It amounts to 15% – 20% more blackjack hands per hour when a CSM is used – that's an extra round or two every hour.

Compared to manually-shuffled blackjack games, the additional hands bet and played increase the theoretical hourly loss. It's much the same with automatic card shuffling machines, although those aren't as quick as CSMs. So, here's the thing: If you use basic strategy when playing blackjack, play at tables where the dealer manually shuffles the cards. This is far superior for your bankroll and your loss rate.

Be advised: The original purpose of CSMs was to prevent card counting from taking place. However, since we know this is an effective strategy for beating the casino, it also gave players an edge over the dealer. I have much more to say about CSMs and card counting in Chapter 10 of my Blackjack Guide.

HOW MANY BLACKJACK PLAYERS ARE COMPETING?

If you don't use several of the blackjack playing techniques summarized in Chapter 5 (reduce house edge), be sure that the casino will have an advantage over you. This assumes that you accurately use the basic strategy summarized in Chapter 3. Now, you will have better odds when you play blackjack at a full table rather than an empty table, particularly in a heads-up contest against the blackjack dealer. At a full table, you will have fewer hands dealt to you per session. This means your exposure is reduced, your bankroll is protected, and your losses are minimized against the house edge. There are many ways to mitigate against the inherent house edge in blackjack; the number of players competing is one of them.

GOOD BLACKJACK RULES & BAD BLACKJACK RULES

Few elements determine the house edge quite as significantly as the blackjack rules in play. Specific playing rules can increase the house edge, while others can reduce the house edge. Therefore, it's important to distinguish between good blackjack rules & bad blackjack rules.

With that introduction in mind, here's a general guideline to follow. Whenever blackjack rules provide player options such as pair splitting, doubling down after pair splitting, and surrender, these are favourable to players. Of course, players must implement these options correctly. By contrast, any blackjack rules restricting a player's options are unfavourable. Consider no doubling after splitting pairs or no re-splits. There are, of course, other rules about what the dealer can do. Does the dealer stand on a Soft 17? Or does the dealer stand on a Hard 17? What are the blackjack payouts – 3:2, 6:5, 7:5, or 1:1? The rules can significantly affect the house edge depending on the specific ratio.

Here is a list of the majority of good rules in blackjack.

• Blackjack pays 2-1
• Blackjack pays 3-2
• Single and double deck
• Early surrender
• Doubling down on any first two cards
• Doubling down on soft hands
• Doubling down after pair splitting
• Resplit pairs
• Resplit aces
• Late surrender
• Dealer stands on soft 17
• Player is allowed to enter a game in mid-shoe
• Manual or auto shuffle

Here’s a list of the bad blackjack rules.

• Blackjack pays 6-5
• No doubling down after pair splitting
• Doubling down only on 10 and 11
• No doubling on soft hands
• No resplitting aces
• Dealer hits soft 17
• No surrender
• Six and eight deck
• No mid-shoe entry
• Use of CSM to shuffle the cards

Naturally, you want to maximize the number of good blackjack rules in your game and avoid as many bad blackjack rules as possible.

HOW TO ESTIMATE THE HOUSE EDGE FOR ANY BLACKJACK VARIANT

The Internet is peppered with interesting data regarding how the rules above impact the house edge. There are also loads of blackjack websites you can navigate to, input the rules of the game, and there will instantly determine the house edge. Below are several examples for you to consider.

NUMBER OF DECKS IN PLAY

Basic blackjack strategy dictates that the greater the number of decks in play, the higher the house edge. Look at the blackjack table, which indicates the impact several decks have on the house edge versus a basic strategy player with a hard 17 and doubling after splits.

As you can tell, when the number of decks increases, so does the house edge. It goes up 0.64% when an eight-deck game of blackjack is played. Take note that incremental increases in the house edge are reduced as the number of decks increases; that is precisely why casinos and online casinos limit the number of decks in play to 8 at the tables.

BLACKJACK PLAYING RULES

Player favourable blackjack rules and player unfavourable blackjack rules can dramatically impact basic strategy. Certain rules have a bigger impact on basic strategy than others. For example, when the surrender rule is in effect, its effectiveness may differ between double-deck blackjack games versus 6-deck/8-deck blackjack games. Certain game rules are more commonly applied than others. Consult the tables in Chapter 3; you will see that the house edge differs vis-a-vis the number of decks of cards and the playing rules in effect. You're welcome to use this blackjack guide to ascertain the appropriate mix of rules for player-favourable odds.

BLACKJACK TIPS

Suppose you are looking for the exact house edge for any particular blackjack game. In that case, I suggest using the information on the effects of the house edge evident in most blackjack books, in addition to a trusted blackjack calculator used for determining the house edge.

The tables in Chapter 3 summarise the house edge for varying numbers of decks and combinations of blackjack playing rules. This will give you an idea of the rules you should follow when playing blackjack.